Incoming referendum results show massive vote for south Sudan secession

January 16, 2011 (KHARTOUM) – Results trickling from in-country and out-of-country polling stations of South Sudan referendum on independence continue to indicate a landslide vote in favor of secession from north Sudan.

Voting in south Sudan referendum, which is a key plank of the 2005’s peace deal that ended nearly two decades of north-south civil war, began on 9 January and closed on 15 January at 3000 polling stations inside Sudan and in eight out of Country voting stations (OCV).

OCV countries include Kenya, Australia, Canada, Egypt, Ethiopia, Uganda, the UK and the US. Nearly four million people registered to vote, according to Southern Sudan Referendum Commission (SSRC), which oversees the process.

It is widely expected that the final results of the vote will result in the breakup of Sudan.

IN-COUNTRY

SSRC official in charge of Greater Omdorman area, where 35 polling stations are located, has reported a turnout of 65.2%, out of which the majority of counted ballots were in favor of secession.

According to the official Taj Alsir Hamzah Mansour, 4838 voters cast their ballots in favor of secession while 4420 voted for unity. Mansour also said there we 104 invalid ballots and 199 unmarked ballots.

The results announced on Sunday in Sudan’s central state of North Kordofan, where seven polling stations were located, show that 1808 out of 9010 registered voters had cast their ballots in favor of secession while 3942 voted for unity. SUNA report also mentioned that the number of invalid ballots stood at 142 while that of unmarked ballots stood at 188.

The head of the SSRC committee in the White Nile State in central Sudan on Sunday revealed that out of the 6849 voters who turned out, 2533 were in favor of unity while 3952 voted for secession. The official further reported that there were 235 unmarked ballots and 129 invalid ballots.

In the suburbs of Khartoum state in Jabal Awlia district, where 17 polling stations were located, SSRC officials on Sunday announced that 2704 people voted for unity while 3230 voted for secession.

In south Sudan, results emerging from some polling stations in the region’s capital Juba have shown that 20, 012 people had voted for secession while 270 voted for unity.

Also in Torit in south Sudan’s state of Eastern Equatoria, results announced at Ngor center number (1001010) show that only seven ballots were cast in favor of unity while 1718 voted for secession.

OUT-OF-COUNTRY

In a hall opposite the houses of parliament in London, where the only out-of-country voting in Europe took place, ballots counted have shown that 97% out of 640 voters chose secession.

Federico Vuni, the SSRC official in charge of the polling station, on Sunday announced that 626 votes were in favor of secession, 13 for unity and one unmarked ballot.

Sudan ambassador in Canada on Sunday announced that 97% percent of ballots cast at Toronto center and Calgary center in Alberta province were in favor of secession.

Similarly, 97.4% of 3,346 southerners who registered to vote in Egypt have voted for secession whereas 75 voters chose unity, according to results announced on Sunday.

(ST)